


Why Regret What Cannot Be

by JetGirl1832, tomatopudding



Series: The Hamilton Family Album [39]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Catching Up, Drink With Me, F/M, Gen, M/M, Talking About the Past, having a drink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 09:24:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15860823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomatopudding/pseuds/tomatopudding
Summary: Alex and John have a drink. An aftermath of John's camping trip with Pip and Angie.





	Why Regret What Cannot Be

Alex took a sip of beer as he waited for his drinking companion to arrive. It had been one hell of a week for him and his family so it was nice to have a break. The bar he was in definitely wasn’t the type of place you’d think to find politicians of all parties mingling together. It was kind of a dive bar, but it had a no paparazzi rule that was very strictly enforced. And after the media frenzy he’d recently faced he was glad of it.

 

Alex really hasn’t realized just how much they would be looking into his life, and in turn the lives of his kids. And honestly, he felt that maybe John should have known better since he grew up in the home of a politician. In any case, his offhand joking comments about Pip and Angie being his kids had turned into a whole Thing with various media outlets reporting about Eliza Hamilton’s torrid affair with John Laurens.

 

Which was completely ridiculous, and unfounded, he supposed it didn’t help that John wasn’t married. Alex sipped at his beer again.   
  
“Alex!” A familiar voice called out and Alex turned to see John approaching him.

 

Alex rose to greet his friend and the two men embraced briefly before John sat across from him at the table.

 

“What’s your poison?” Alex asked.

 

“Scotch,” John replied.    
  
“That kind of day,” Alex said knowingly.    
  
John gave him a mild smile.

 

“Should we make it a double?” Alex asked.

 

John seemed to be seriously considering it, but ended up shaking his head.    
  
“Best not,” he said, “I’ve cut back a lot.”   
  
John had never been the kind of person to go out and get blackout drunk for fun, but he’d definitely been the one in their friend group who drank the most when they all went out.

 

“Health kick?” Alex asked.   
  
John shrugged his shoulders. They made small talk until John got his drink and then sat in companionable silence for several moments.    
  
“The kids really loved going camping with you,” Alex said finally.    
  
“Yeah?” John gripped his glass.   
  
“Angie couldn’t stop talking about all the stuff you guys did,” Alex added.

 

“Right,” John said, “they’re wonderful kids, really. She’s so much like you. Perceptive.”   
  
"Yes she is," Alex nodded, and the two of them got quiet again.   
  
“She told me some things,” Alex continued as John kept his eyes steadily pointed downwards.

 

“Oh,” John muttered.   
  
“John...” Alex hesitated, “is it true?”

 

“Just a little residual crush,” John said, trying to put on a brave face.    
  
“John,” Alex said again, feeling a little bit hurt for some reason. It had been more than a crush, both of them knew that.    
  
“It’s fine, I’m fine,” insisted John, “Just...a little lonely, ya know? Makes my brain do weird things.”   
  
Alex reached over and placed a hand over John’s, “Hey, listen John. I love you and I always will, you know that.”   
  
John flinched slightly at the words but didn’t remove his hand, “It’s not your fault that I’m stuck in the past.”

 

“John...” Alex sighed.   
  
“I know it’s silly,” John pondered his glass.

 

“It’s not silly at all,” Alex told him, giving his hand a squeeze, “Love is complicated.”

 

“Yeah, but you’ve been with Eliza for about twenty years,” John scoffed, finally drawing his hand out from under Alex’s.

 

“But in all that time, you and I have barely seen each other,” Alex said, “I think we’ve forgotten how to be friends.”

 

"Forgotten how to be friends?" John raised his brow.

 

Alex raised a brow right back, “How long has it been since we just hung out. Outside of political meetings?”   
  
“Too long,” John replied ruefully.    
  
“Exactly! I mean, we went from being friends to being boyfriends to being exes to barely seeing each other,” Alex continued on, “We didn’t fully reconcile, not really.”

 

“I guess you’re right,” John nodded.   
  
“I want to fix it,” Alex sipped his beer, “It’s not fair my kids spend more time with you than I do.”

 

John quirked a smile at that.    
  
“Well, I’m in town for a few more weeks,” he said, “then I’m heading back to South Carolina. So I guess now’s our chance.”

 

“You’re in luck that I have no curfew then,” Alex laughed, “and if I get too drunk, Eliza told me to tell you it’s okay to dump me on the porch like in college.”

  
John let out a scandalized gasp, “I never dumped you on a porch!”   
  
“Because you were drunker than I was,” chuckled Alex.

 

“So did you dump me on a porch?” John raised his brow.

 

“Do you remember ever waking up on a porch?” Alex returned.

 

John genuinely pondered it, “I don’t think so.”

 

Alex grinned smugly, “So there!”

 

“But I think there was one time I woke up in the lounge of our dorm,” John continued.

 

“Hey, that wasn’t me,” protested Alex, “blame Herc for that. At least you were on the couch, he put me on the floor!”

 

“Right,” John snorted.

 

“My back was sore for days,” Alex complained.    
  
“Poor baby,” John shook his head.   
  


Alex sighed, “I never get any sympathy.”

 

“That’s because you get yourself into those sorts of situations,” John replied.

 

“Never on purpose!”   
  
John chuckled and sipped his scotch.   
  
“So how about a sort of truce?” Alex proposed.   
  
“What are you, seven?” John retorted.

 

“You’ve discovered my deep, dark secret,” Alex deadpanned, “Hear me out, okay? I feel like we’ve been stuck in this limbo of feelings for far too long. Now I’m not saying that we should forget our time together, but let’s just...put it aside and focus on friendship. Deal?”   
  
He held out his hand, wiggling his fingers expectantly until John took it to shake.    
  
“Deal.”

  
  



End file.
